The points we'd gained in water skiing were now gone, but honestly, I didn't really care.
First, Makoto had been eliminated, which put me in a good mood. Second, a girl from the Pater faction named Chiyo had managed to win a medal, which put me in an even better mood.
And since the gold medal had gone to Haruna of all people, it was hard to hold a grudge.
Well, what could I do? I had no choice but to accept defeat.
At this point, I figured it was time to start planning my survival strategy for when I was inevitably dragged off to Gehenna. I could still hold out hope for the team events, but for some reason, it felt like all the malice in the world was conspiring to ensure my loss.
After the award ceremony, I went to the athletes' waiting area. The first thing I did was console Hasumi, who told me that while the result was disappointing, it was unavoidable, and that she wanted to aim for the next opportunity.
"It was simply a matter of my own skill being insufficient. That's all there is to it. No matter how well you do in training, if you can't prove it in a real competition, you can't call it your true skill. Besides, I don't think I could have beaten those two at a mere 1500 meters. If I am given another chance, I will have to hone my skills even further and challenge them again."
"Ahaha, it's fine. I heard you're competing in beach volleyball tomorrow. I'm counting on you, Hasumi-chan. Can I count on you this time? Right? If you don't bring home a medal there, our little dessert cafe trip is off—"
"Mika-san, I will not disappoint you a second time. Absolutely not."
Yep, that was some solid motivation. I guess I could look forward to tomorrow's match.
Next, I went to comfort the light of our Pater faction, Chiyo, who seemed quite disheartened. I had thought there wasn't a single talented person in all of Pater, but the fact that there was at least one had been a great comfort to me. I was truly grateful to this girl.
"M-Mika-sama. I… hic… I really wanted to win the gold medal and put it around your neck…"
"Hm? Wait a minute, Chiyo-chan. Hold on… No, really, it's fine, so please don't cry! You wanted to put the medal on my neck? What do you mean?"
"Well, compared to the number of medals those Arius girls have won for you, we in Pater haven't won you a single one. So I wanted our first medal to be a gold one, to give to you…"
Maybe I had been misunderstanding the students of Pater all this time.
Perhaps the reason Pater had turned their backs on Mika was because Mika, the idol of all of Pater, had been the one to betray their expectations first?
Of course, that was nonsense.
Unlike the more extreme hardliners in Pater, it was obvious that this girl, Chiyo, was part of the more moderate faction. Well, Pater was a place where people lived, too. I was sure there were more good kids like her if I looked.
"You know, Chiyo-chan, I think that while results are important, there's nothing more important than the heart behind them. In that sense, your feelings have already reached me. Isn't that enough?"
"Mika-samaaa… If it's alright with you, please, at least take this medal!"
Seeing Chiyo take the bronze medal from her own neck and offer it to me gave me a strange feeling. I had no memory of ever doing anything to earn this level of respect from her, which meant that even if the original Mika had been here, Chiyo would have wanted to give her the medal.
So, for the sake of the original Mika, who must still be out there somewhere, wasn't it right for me to accept it? That was the thought that came to mind.
I took off my straw hat and bowed my head slightly so Chiyo could easily place the medal around my neck. Though, this girl, for all her cute behavior, was still taller than me, so I probably didn't need to bow.
Admiring the new bronze medal around my neck, I pulled my ponytail out from under the ribbon. Hmm, I should get a frame for this and keep it safe.
"Thank you, Chiyo-chan. I'll treasure this."
"Y-yes…!"
When I gave Chiyo a light hug, she looked as if she might faint from happiness. Seriously, how much did she adore Mika? The charm of Princess Mika, beloved by all, truly knew no bounds.
After unexpectedly receiving a bronze medal from Chiyo, I moved on to comfort Hiyori, who had just missed her chance to build her self-esteem—
No, wait. It's not like I'm in charge of everyone's mental care. Why have I been doing nothing but comforting people? Seriously.
"Waaaaah… Mika-chan… I-I wanted the gold medal too… sob…!!!"
"Hey, Hiyori-chan. My shoulder's getting wet. Could you maybe stop crying now?"
"Hic…!"
It was basically a repeat of my conversation with Chiyo. I think seeing the bronze medal around my neck might have triggered it, but she was even trying to give me the silver medal she had won.
The only difference was that the person Hiyori wanted to give her medal to was unequivocally me, not the original Mika. So, I tried my best to refuse. It was one thing to accept a medal on Mika's behalf, but accepting one meant for me felt like too much of a burden.
"Waaa—"
Was she now trying to blackmail me with tears? I quickly covered Hiyori's mouth before she could let out another wail. Fine, I'll take it. Seriously, just this once.
"Hiyori-chan. This is a secret between us, okay? Don't tell the other Squad girls. I'd be in a tough spot if everyone started trying to give me their medals. It's a burden for me to just take something you all worked so hard for. Do you understand?"
"Ehehe. Then this is our little secret."
"Yep, yep, our little secret—is probably not going to happen. Ahaha, I don't even know anymore☆"
There was no way the other Squad members hadn't come to watch Hiyori compete. Seeing them watching us from a distance, I had a strong feeling that Saori or Azusa would be coming to find me later with their own medals in hand.
Hmm, I would have to refuse those no matter what. It's not like they would blackmail me with tears like Hiyori, so it shouldn't be too difficult.
Just when I thought the 'Let's give our medals to Mika' incident was over, Haruna approached, sashaying her tail, took the gold medal from her neck, and offered it to me.
"Fufut. Since you're already wearing medals, wouldn't it look better to collect them all?"
"No…? Haruna-chan, no matter how I look at it, that would just be tacky. So how about you put away your plan to turn me into a medal rack?"
"Hmm. I don't think you can know that for sure until you try it on. So, would you mind taking off that hat for a moment? I'd like to put it on you myself."
"But this is the fruit of your own hard work, Haruna-chan. Are you sure you can just give it to me? I only accepted from those two because they had their reasons—"
Before I could finish, Haruna forcefully silenced me.
Mouth to mouth.
It was a truly short and light kiss, but by the time Haruna pulled away, Nagisa, who had been chatting with Noah, had already drawn her pistol.
"Kurodate, even for you, isn't this going too far? Things are different now. Making a move on someone who is already taken is just improper!"
"Fufu… Wouldn't it be better to put that gun away? I don't think Mika-san would enjoy seeing us fight."
"Honestly, why do you keep eyeing my partner?"
"First, please allow me to say what I came to say. You can interrogate me after that. Right now… there is something I must tell Mika-san."
Nagisa, who had been glaring daggers at Haruna, walked over to me, wrapped her arms around me from behind, and buried her head in my shoulder.
The gesture was a blatant declaration: This person is mine, so stop touching her.
"I'll take that as your tacit approval."
"Do whatever you want. It's not like you listen to a word I say anyway. What's the point of talking about tacit approval now?"
"Really, please don't be so hostile. At the end of the day, it's clear that Mika-san cherishes you the most. Even I am a little jealous of that."
"It's not that she cherishes me the most; she's supposed to cherish only me."
"Fufu, well. I think I'm starting to understand why Mika-san likes you so much… Anyway. What I wanted to say was this, Mika-san. I'm not actually that interested in fighting with a gun. The reason I honed my skills and participated in this competition was entirely for you. Did you know that?"
Hey, if it was for my sake, shouldn't you have not taken the gold medal?
I gave Haruna a pointed look, and she smiled wryly and shook her head.
"I-I mean, aside from the outcome of the competition. Back at Millennium, when you blocked that sniper shot for me and trusted me with your back… I suppose you could say I realized my own inadequacy. I know how strong you are, Mika-san, but you never know what might happen. If a situation ever arose where you had to trust me with your back again… yes, I wanted to be able to help you without fail."
Haruna personally took off my straw hat and placed it in my hand, then met Nagisa's gaze, who still had no intention of letting me go.
After a long, uncomfortable silence, Nagisa sighed, released me, and stepped back.
"Kurodate-san, would you mind if I slapped you?"
"Fufu, I'll pass."
"I really don't like you."
"Oh my, speaking so informally is a bit unlike you, Kirifuji-san…"
"With you, I feel like I want to… no, I will."
"Pfft. Trying so hard to be hostile doesn't really suit you, Kirifuji-san. It's like wearing clothes that don't fit, you know?"
Well… Nagisa and Haruna were still bickering, and it still felt like Nagisa was the one pushing her away.
But for some reason, I had a feeling that Haruna would be able to break down that wall soon enough. Nagisa's attitude toward her had definitely softened compared to before. Still, it was nothing like the friendship she had with Hina.
"These are my feelings, Mika-san. I do hope you like them."
With those words, Haruna placed the gold medal around my neck and gave me a bewitching smile. The swishing of her tail seemed to reflect her mood.
"But hey, Haruna-chan. The only reason you tried so hard to win the gold was because you had a separate deal with Hina-chan, right?"
"Fufu."
Anyway, how did I end up as a medal rack? Wearing three medals in a swimsuit… what kind of fashion statement was this?
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